Community Health Needs Assessments

Sentara Healthcare has conducted community health needs assessments for our inpatient hospitals and outpatient surgical hospitals in the areas that we serve. The assessments provide us with a picture of the health status of the residents in our communities and provide us with information about health and health-related problems that impact health status.

Our assessments include a review of population characteristics such as age, educational level, and racial and ethnic composition because these factors can impact health. The assessments also look at risk factors, such as obesity and smoking, and health indicators, such as infant mortality and preventable hospitalizations. Community participation is important, so the assessment also includes input from local health departments, the school system, social services, community health centers, free clinics, local governments, and many others through a survey and other means.

The needs assessments identify numerous health issues that our communities face. Considering factors such as size and scope of the health problem, the intensity and severity of the issue, the potential to effectively address the problem and the availability of community resources, and our mission to improve health every day, we have identified priority health problems in our areas.

The community health needs assessments were used as the foundation for the hospital implementation strategies to address the priority needs identified. The assessments and implementation strategies have been adopted by each hospital’s governing body. A number of resources are available in the community to address these needs through community partners such as the local health departments, United Way Agencies, academic institutions, and others. Information about these resources is available from sources like 2-1-1 Virginia and Sentara.com. Together, we will work to improve the health of the communities we serve.

Please see the list below of our hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. By clicking on the facility’s name, you may learn more about that facility’s community health needs assessment and may view and download a copy of the report.